Bring on the basics!

Bring on the basics!

We pole dancers love us some tricks. We love to flip around, balance, make fun shapes, and generally just get crazy on the pole. And I think sometimes we rush through the basics, or we get them and think “OK, coolio, I’ll check that one off the list!” We forget that the most basic moves can be absolutely gorgeous. There’s a reason they’re basics!

Climbing! There is simply no excuse for a sloppy, ugly climb unless it is your first climb ever. None. You can climb with pointed toes and long lines and expression just as easily as you can with funky feet and a roached back. It is as much of a dance element as any other move you do. Make it count!

Walking! It’s not just for building momentum before a spin or getting around to the other side of the pole. Your walk can be a signature. There are dancers out there who would be recognizable just from the way they walk around a pole. Play with your hand positioning, move your body differently, take bigger or smaller steps — sassy, bold, shy, sexy — your walk can be all of those things and more!

Spinning! I have seen dozens, maybe hundreds of pole videos that have next to no spins. C’mon now….spins are fun! Spins make you feel like you’re flying! Spins are one of the cornerstones of pole! Bust a few out during your next session. Make them big, effortless, floaty, and FUN!

Inverted thigh holds/crucifix variations. They’re versatile and they’re inherently impressive (hello, you’re upside down). So don’t put them on the shelf and ignore them once you’ve moved on to more advanced moves. Play with arm and leg positioning. Push yourself away from the pole, twist your torso, switch up your hand placement. Work on those lines!!!!!

Courtesy Shannon Williams Photography, Columbus Ohio

Leg hangs! Seriously, who doesn’t love how a well-executed leg hang looks? They are elegant and bad-ass at the same time. Do them, make them perfect, love them! Bonus: you can do them practically anywhere, including some crazy tilty-spinny dome-shaped apparatus at the park. 🙂

The next time you’re on the pole, don’t skip or rush through the more basic elements of our art form–make them perfect and make them your own. Doooooo it.